zoloft and pregnancy...

[lynnsee]

Ive been taking 50mg of zoloft for anxiety/mdd. I uust recently found out i am pregnant and still very early into it. Im not ready to come off my meds just yet but i know its better for the baby that i dont take any meds at all. I did pretty good on 25 mg and i was just wondering if anyone knows if itd be ok to just take half a 50mg everyday rather than the whole pill?

[Paxiled]

Just to comment on the above, I agree, less is always better if it works, but don't cut down abruptly -- you could suffer withdrawal symptoms.  Taper down gradually.  That's also the problem with quitting smoking -- quitting abruptly is really hard on the system.  Same with antidepressants.

[BluCrystal]

I was told by my own doctor that if I ever felt like I needed to take LESS of something, to just go ahead and do it.  But you are pregnant.  Now doctors are telling pregnant moms who smoke cigarettes NOT to quit, just cut down as much as possible, since trying to quit smoking while pregnant causes stress for the baby as well.  This is something you MUST talk to your doctor about.  And congrats on becoming a new mom!

[Paxiled]

I'd also contact nursegirl, one of the moderators of this site.  She's a nurse and is very helpful.

[Paxiled]

What I can tell you is that as someone who has a crazy schedule I watch late night TV while I stretch on the floor, and there is an advertisement right now for a class action suit for people who took Zoloft and had children with birth defects and other problems.  Law firms usually don't get involved unless they think they're going to win or have already won because of a review done of the drug.  I have no personal knowledge here, it's just something I've seen and I only noticed it because I've seen people on here several times having been told by their doctors that Zoloft is the safest to take while pregnant.  That may be true, but keep in mind, it's not just a problem with birth defects, it's also having a child being born on the drug and you know how difficult these drugs can be to an adult let alone a newborn.  You need to do what's best and I'm not the person with enough knowledge to know, but I don't particularly trust doctors either as they're usually totally clueless about drugs other than what they've been taught by pharmaceutical companies.  That's why I say, think it out, but make the best decision you believe in.  Then, after you've made your decision, let it go and have a wonderful child!

[lynnsee]

Dose

[lynnsee]

Ive talked about it with my doctor. She says there are no birth defects with zoloft. Just slow developement. And ive gone from 50mg to 25mg before. And i did just fine. Its cuz now im pregnant that I was just wondering about it. She also mentioned that the dosage does kind of matter. The baby would be at a higher risk with a higher does. And 50mg is fairly low.

[Paxiled]

No antidepressant is safe if you're pregnant at any dosage -- some doctors will still allow you to take it, but you should know that every single one of them has a class action lawsuit successfully prosecuted or under way about this -- including Zoloft.  Now, this doesn't mean anything bad will definitely happen -- it just means it's a careful decision you need to make.  As for suddenly lowering your dosage, I wouldn't do that without the help of your psychiatrist as you could go into withdrawal -- it's best to do this by slow tapering.  But whether 25 or 50mg, the baby will still be feeding off of you and the drug you're taking with an undeveloped brain system and the risk of birth defects.  Zoloft has one of the lower risks among antidepressants by reputation, but reputation is often wrong when the real statistics come out.  So again, think this out in consultation with your obstetrician and psychiatrist and then make the best decision for both of you.  And relax about it -- you will be okay.